Small Business

AGC Knives

A lifelong chef, I started learning to make my own knives from youtube videos when I was 16. The experiment quickly became an obsession that led me to cobble together a machine shop in my backyard shed and sell knives at the San Mateo Maker Faire and other art shows. I am captivated by the feeling that well designed tools have souls, and that using them elevates everyday experiences.

Process

Each knife starts with a free hand sketch, which littered the margins of my homework. A chosen design is traced to bar steel, profiled, beveled, tempered, heat treated, and a wood handle is shaped. I love all the little complexities of this craft like learning to make my own mosaic pins or electro-etch my logo into the blade. Although I set out on this project independently, I sought guidance from local carpenters and metal workers.

Takeaways

I learned that despite countless hours spent chasing minute details, I never considered a knife to be perfect or truly done. Even though this was not a very profitable business given the hours poured into each product, I derive immense satisfaction from knowing that people are using and enjoying these knives.

Lamps

I wanted to design something that maintained a soul but could be produced at a larger scale. I think a good lamp can make a space, and I have tinkered a lot with light. This is a lamp I designed and optimized for small batch 3D printing at home and am in the process of producing and selling online. This design can sit on a desk or be transformed to wall-mounted hanging mode using an integrated dovetail plate.

Starting with a sketch and then a CAD model, I iterated over 35 printed prototypes to create a lamp that works with electrical components I can order in bulk, is quick to assemble, and is easy to set up without instructions. I selected materials for each part of the lamp so that it would not overheat or warp in sunlight but still transmits a warm light. I enlisted the help of friends with experience buying bulk components from manufacturers and online shipping sales to scale my product. I have also experimented with non commercialized versions like the wooden stand shown below.

LBM Labs: Mushroom Grow Chamber Product

By 2022, I had been cultivating edible fungi for a few years and saw several roadblocks to mycology enthusiasts getting started. Traditional home set ups require a dark closet, daily misting and fanning, and a lot of trial and error. I set out on this project with the goal of making a fruiting mycelial block the centerpiece of a room. It would be a chamber with a simple user interface and computer controlled temperature, humidity, airflow, and light allowing a beginner to go from spores to mushrooms at home.

We started with a cardboard prototype and moved the design through CAD and wood before arriving at acrylic and bamboo. I did the CAD, manufacturing, and wiring while my friend wrote the Arduino code. We had a working prototype that could maintain optimal conditions for each growth stage – first encouraging mycelial outgrowth and later inducing fungal fruiting using proper airflow, lighting, and humidity while maintaining a sterile environment.

The goal was to start a Kickstarter campaign and produce these at volume. Although I paused work on this project when I began working as a mechanical engineer at LLNL, I would like to return to it again with the new skills I have gained in my role.